Lunch Bangladesh 389 for 6 (Mushfiqur 101*, Mehidy 17*) trail Pakistan 448 for 6 dec. by 59 runs
Contrary to the 67 runs they scored in the last 11 overs of the previous day, Bangladesh began the fourth day’s first hour at a slower pace before Mushfiqur and Mehidy picked up the tempo to punish the hosts in challenging hot and humid conditions. Mushfiqur adopted an incredibly patient approach at the start of play, as did Litton, as they reached their century partnership early in the day. Both batsmen displayed impeccable defensive technique against Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Ali, consistently fending off length deliveries and capitalizing on loose balls.
Ali thought he had dismissed Mushfiqur for 59 with an lbw, but the decision was overturned on review. However, Ali eventually managed to trap Mushfiqur lbw just past the half-hour mark, only for the decision to be overturned once again on review. Naseem Shah then got rid of Litton with a well-directed short ball outside off, leaving Bangladesh’s hopes resting on Mushfiqur and Mehidy.
Despite being six wickets down, Bangladesh’s lower order showed resilience as Mushfiqur and Mehidy upped the scoring rate. Mehidy, although not as technically sound as Mushfiqur, managed to accumulate runs without taking unnecessary risks, even taking on the short balls from the Pakistani bowlers.
Mushfiqur further accelerated his innings by punishing the bowlers, hitting boundaries at regular intervals before reaching his well-deserved century. With the deficit narrowing and Pakistan struggling for breakthroughs, Mushfiqur took advantage of the spin bowling introduced by Shan Masood, capitalizing on the part-time bowlers to further boost Bangladesh’s score.
